The above is the main content of the film, an elegant, somewhat poetic story. Another striking feature of the film is that there is very little dialogue. In this case, the following two issues are particularly important in the visual expression of the film: first, how to use the lens language to anthropomorphize the red balloon, giving it human emotions without being separated from the real world; second, the film In a state of basically no dialogue, the picture needs to assume a high degree of narrative function. How to complete the suspense that attracts the audience through the control of the picture is undoubtedly worthy of attention. This article will focus on these two issues.
First, let's discuss the lens processing that depicts the image of the red balloon.
1. The use of long lenses
Long takes abound in The Red Balloon. In the early days of the friendship between the little boy and the red balloon, the image of the red balloon as a naughty, lively, cute, and spiritual partner is refreshing. In this process, the long lens played a major role. In the part where Bastian goes to school with a red balloon, the director uses long takes one after another. The red balloon followed the little boy "step by step", but when the little boy wanted to reach out and grab it, it deliberately dodged; it even hid in the doorway and waited for the little boy to search around for unsuccessfully before it came out and knocked his head. These movements of the red balloon and the interaction between the red balloon and the little boy are all handled in long shots in the film. The long shot can fully present a specific time and space, enhancing the realism of the picture, so when we watch the film, we seem to forget the existence of special effects, and we can't help but regard the red balloon as an actor full of aura.
2. Changes in color, light and scene
There are two obvious contrasts in the film: one is the contrast between Bastian who has a red balloon and other children without balloons and even the whole city; the other is when he has a red balloon. The contrast between Bastian and Bastian when he lost the red balloon. Comparing the two, the importance of the red balloon and its symbolic meaning is highlighted. The realization of these two contrasts is inseparable from the changes in color, light and scenery.
The importance of color in this film cannot be overstated. Compared with the bright and rich red of the balloon, the whole of Paris is full of blue-gray and yellow-brown tones, whether it is the towering buildings or the clothes of the people, which makes people feel depressed and depressed involuntarily. The bright red balloons grabbed people's attention as soon as they appeared. At the end of the film, the bright colors hidden in all corners of Paris flooded into the sky together, and the warm tones that hit the face made the film emotionally climax.
After the red balloon experienced a beautiful encounter with its blue counterpart, it seemed that God suddenly opened his eyes, and the sky in Paris gradually became brighter. The increasingly intense backlight casts on the figures and buildings, creating sharp silhouettes that contrast sharply with the bleakness that preceded them. At the end of the film, the grim sky suddenly opens up, and colorful balloons roll over the city, a warm and heartwarming scene that is a far cry from the gray and dirty sky at the beginning of the film.
When showing the different emotions of the little boy having the red balloon and losing the red balloon, the scene changes are very significant. In the first shot of the film, the foreground is a wide platform, the middle shot shows the stairs between the left and right buildings and a cat, and the background is overlooking Paris and the wide sky. Immediately afterwards, the protagonist Bastian entered from the lower left corner of the frame, stopped in the middle shot and played with the kitten for a while, and left the frame along the stairs. This is a long shot, meant to show the character's situation. Between the two icy buildings, the little boy and the kitten looked so helpless. Under this kind of long-range lens, which is almost indifferent and isolated, the loneliness of the little boy is vividly presented on the screen. But at the end of the film, when Bastian watched the balloons dance across the city, his face was once again filled with a bright smile, and his face was well-defined and more charming in the sidelight. At this time, I took a close-up shot of the little boy to highlight his expression and show his inner world.
3. Convey a certain meaning in the details
In the film, the processing of some shots usually has a strong symbolic color, and the director can vividly show the theme of the film through the shots with meaning or some special expression techniques. In "Red Balloon", there is no doubt that the biggest symbol is one of the protagonists of the film - the red balloon. In addition, there is no lack of such far-reaching implications in the treatment of some details.
Just after the little boy and the red balloon confirmed their friendship, as they walked down a flight of steps, a dog lay across the steps. With the help of the little boy, the red balloon successfully dodged the dog's attack. It is true that in terms of narrative, this passage makes the story more exciting, and can reflect the little boy's love and value for the red balloon. However, if you think of Bastian's intimacy with kittens that appeared at the beginning of the film, the plot of the dog here may not be so simple to understand. Cats and dogs are the most common pets, and dogs are called "man's most faithful friend". When there is no red balloon to accompany, the lonely little boy can only play with the kitten, but at this moment, he can drive away the puppy without caring, which symbolizes that the red balloon has replaced the animal and become Bastian new pet.
In the middle of the film, the little boy once came to a flea market with a red balloon, and the red balloon went missing again naughty (it is worth noting that a dog also appeared at this time), and the little boy stopped in front of a picture frame , At that moment, he seemed to have forgotten the existence of the red balloon. The pattern of the frame is of a pretty little girl about his age. Bastian stared at her for a long time, and it was not hard to imagine how much he longed for friendship in life. At the same time, the red balloon appeared in front of a mirror and seemed to be looking at himself in the mirror, appearing to be alone. These two allegorical passages reveal the loneliness the little boy and the red balloon face once separated, and illustrate their importance to each other.
Next, let's take a look at how "Red Balloon" can tell a fascinating story by using only the face painting to assume the narrative function without basically using dialogue.
A touching story must be good at creating suspense and conflict, which is reflected in the extensive use of off-painting space in the lens language of "Red Balloon". Such a composition not only gives the picture outward momentum and tension, but also guides the audience to imagine information that is not presented in the space within the painting, thereby promoting the development of the plot. In order to focus on portraying the mischievousness of the red balloon and its good friendship with Bastien, the director made the red balloon enter and exit the screen many times, so that the audience's line of sight can continue to explore the position of the red balloon, so as to control the narrative rhythm.
Another part of the film tells us that the depth of field lens also plays a huge role on the narrative level. After discovering that a group of troublemakers were plotting against the red balloons, Bastian had to carry the red balloons through the streets of Paris to avoid their pursuit. Among the 17 shots in this paragraph, except for a close-up shot of a hidden child peeping, the rest are all depth-of-field shots with a strong sense of depth. Bazin believes that the depth of field lens has two characteristics, one is to maintain the overall picture of things and the integrity of space, and the other is to maintain the connection between things. In The Red Balloon, the depth-of-field shot not only helps to bring out the full picture of the streets and alleys of Paris – curvy, hidden, and alluring. And more importantly, in the depth of field shot, the long street looks full of unknown elements, and the troublemakers who coveted the red balloon may hide in any corner and show up at the most unexpected moment to snatch the balloon.
The visual expression of "Red Balloon" excellently creates the classic image of a naughty and agile red balloon. At the same time, in the case of basically no dialogue, the narrative is not out of the way, telling a touching and moving story. Although the investment of this film is only 500,000 francs, it has conquered the audience with its sincere and simple emotions and outstanding performance, conquered many critical judges, and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival for Best Short Film, British Film and the Academy of Television Arts Special Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
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